Lagos' must-try street foods

DW (English)

There is an abundance of eateries in the Nigerian capital that serve delicious dishes bursting with flavors. Bibiresan Amodu knows where to find the best beans, yam and beef suya.

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 From sunrise to sunset, right here in Lagos,

00:08 you can indulge in different street foods

00:10 from great tribes and different cultures.

00:13 Beans, yam, and beef suya.

00:16 These are the three typical street foods

00:18 you have to try when in Lagos.

00:20 I just love the fact that we've got so much variety

00:24 when it comes to street food right here in Lagos.

00:26 Lagos is the continent's second largest city

00:29 and it's more than 12 million residents

00:31 that have brought all their culinary traditions with them.

00:34 So let's start the day off right

00:38 with a typical Nigerian breakfast.

00:40 Now imagine black-eyed peas with peppers and spices

00:44 and get this, it's all deep fried.

00:47 Let's go.

00:48 - Our own aka is very special or different from other aka.

00:51 We have our own special recipe that we use for our greek aka.

00:55 My oloi beans blended with raw egg,

00:59 roasted pepper, and then I'll season it

01:03 with my maggi, salt, and crayfish.

01:07 - But what is the secret ingredient?

01:09 - The secret ingredient is the raw egg.

01:11 - How many aka does this make?

01:14 - This will make one portion, like eight pieces.

01:16 - Up close.

01:18 - Two different sauces.

01:19 - Okay, so we've got the two sauces over here.

01:23 So this is called?

01:24 - Tziziki, or this is rojo sauce.

01:26 - So this is the one with the yogurt,

01:27 the cucumber, and what else?

01:28 - And salt.

01:29 - Okay, and this is?

01:31 - Rojo sauce.

01:32 - Rojo sauce, that's hot.

01:33 - Yes.

01:34 - This place is inspired by the yellow commercial buses

01:37 known as damfo, driving around the city.

01:39 But here, the damfo is not the transport vehicle,

01:42 but a spot on the Atlantic coastline

01:44 to transport local foods with a modern twist.

01:47 Here at this trendy spot,

01:49 one can find all kinds of local foods

01:52 inspired by some traditional flavors.

01:54 It's our first stop of the day,

01:55 and it's also where we'll be trying

01:57 Niger street food classic,

01:59 and my personal favorite,

02:00 Damfo Bistro's special akara.

02:02 This is not just any akara, akara 2.0, okay?

02:06 Thank you so much for showing me this, chef.

02:07 I'm gonna go eat, let's go.

02:09 I'm super excited.

02:11 Now, chef Amos did say the special ingredient

02:13 in his infamous akara is the egg.

02:16 He says that the egg gives it texture and also flavor.

02:20 Let's see if he's onto something.

02:21 Hmm, I have to say, it's not your regular akara.

02:29 This is definitely akara 2.0, and I'm here for it.

02:33 Thank you very, very much.

02:34 Now, what is this?

02:35 - Zobo's apricot.

02:37 - Zobo's apricot, whoo!

02:39 Now, if you don't know, zobo is actually hibiscus,

02:41 and it's got quite a number of natural benefits,

02:43 and it sure is tasty too.

02:45 Cheers.

02:46 Off we go to our next spot,

02:50 where apparently they sell the best fried yams

02:52 on this side of the island.

02:54 Let's go.

02:55 Fried yam is associated with the Yoruba,

02:57 and known as dundun.

02:58 Some people fry the yam,

03:00 others make chips, or use it as yam porridge.

03:02 Here we are at Kohina,

03:04 where we're about to find out what makes their fried yam,

03:07 also known as dundun, extra special.

03:10 Let's go.

03:11 - My own is special, yeah.

03:12 - Yeah.

03:13 - Every tomato, sweet.

03:13 - But what makes your own special?

03:14 Because it's neat, or because it's sweet?

03:15 - Yes, it's sweet.

03:16 Because I fry it when dry.

03:18 Some people use the fried yam,

03:20 just the pieces,

03:21 - Oh.

03:22 - Well, I organize my own,

03:24 it's very special, I order.

03:26 - Yes.

03:27 Okay, so tell me what is on this plate,

03:29 explain it to me.

03:30 - Yam.

03:32 - Yes.

03:33 - Potato.

03:34 - Okay.

03:35 - And gizzard.

03:36 - And gizzard, I love sitobishi.

03:37 - And the sauce.

03:39 - The special sauce?

03:40 - Yes.

03:41 - We've got the dundun, the yam, the fried yam.

03:47 Madame Christina did not lie.

03:50 I think this is amazing.

03:51 The secret is most definitely in the sauce.

03:54 The sauce is incredible.

03:56 It's peppery, like me.

03:58 And you know what?

03:59 Teamed up with the yam,

04:00 it's a pretty amazing meal.

04:01 I'm gonna go ahead and enjoy the rest of my meal.

04:04 The gizzard, the sweet potatoes, and everything else.

04:07 And last, but certainly not least,

04:10 is to take some tasty treats from Guinea Fowl

04:13 to beef suya.

04:14 (upbeat music)

04:17 Suya is probably one of the most well-known

04:21 street foods of Nigeria.

04:23 It originates from the north

04:24 and was popularized by the Hausa people.

04:27 It comes in a skewer and is marinated

04:29 with a variety of spices, including pepper.

04:32 - I put cheta,

04:35 - Okay.

04:36 - Canoperi,

04:36 ginger, everything.

04:40 - The secret is in the seasoning.

04:43 So here we've got Musa, he's chopping up the Guinea Fowl.

04:46 We've already got the beef suya packed up and ready to go.

04:49 I have to say, suya is one of those things that you love.

04:52 It's a perfect late night snack.

04:54 For people like myself that are trying to, you know,

04:55 watch "Dowlifts," it is the perfect, you know,

04:58 just snack on, dinner, lunch, even breakfast.

05:01 Depends on who's asking.

05:03 And yeah, shout out to my main man, Musa.

05:05 I'm sure I'll be coming back for more

05:09 and you need to make sure that you try the three best foods

05:12 when next you visit Lagos.

05:14 Catch you guys next time.

05:15 (upbeat music)

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